2009 European Films Awards Nominations

Yesterday the nominations were announced at the Seville fest and here they are.

Best European Film

Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold, UK
Lat Den Ratte Komma In (Let the Right One In), Tomas Alfredson, Sweden
Un Prophete (A Prophet), Jacques Audiard, France
The Reader, Stephen Daldry, UK and Germany
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, UK
Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon), Michael Haneke, Germany, Austria, France and Italy

Best European Director
Pedro Almodovar for Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embrances)
Andrea Arnold for Fish Tank
Jacques Audiard for Un Prophete (A Prophet)
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Michael Haneke for Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)
Lars von Trier for Antichrist

Best European Actress
Penelope Cruz in Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embrances)
Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist
Katie Jarvis in Fish Tank
Yolande Moreau in Seraphine
Noomi Rapace in Män som Hatar Kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Kate Winslet in The Reader

Best European Actor
Moritz Bleibtreu in Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)
Steve Evets in Looking for Eric
David Kross in The Reader
Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire
Tahar Rahim in Un Prophete (A Prophet)
Filippo Timi in Vincere

Carlo Di Palma Cinematographer Award
Christian Berger for Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)
Anthony Dod Mantle for Antichrist and Slumdog Millionaire
Maxim Drozdov & Alisher Khamidkhodzhaev for Bumazhny Soldat (Paper Soldier)
Stéphane Fontaine for Un Prophete (A Prophet)

Best European Screenwriter
Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain for Un Prophete (A Prophet)
Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire
Gianni di Gregorio for Pranzo Di Ferragosto (Mid-August Lunch)
Michael Haneke for Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)

European Film Academy Prix D’Excellence
Alexandre Desplat for Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel)
Jakob Groth for Män som Hatar Kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Alberto Iglesias for Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embrances)
Johan Söderqvist for Lat Den Ratte Komma In (Let the Right One In)

European Discovery
Ajami, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Germany and Israel
Gagma Napiri (The Other Bank), George Ovashvili, Georgia and Kazakhstan
Katalin Varga, Peter Strickland, Romania, UK and Hungary
Sois Sage (Be Good), Juliette Garcias, France and Denmark
Sonbahar (Autumn), Ozcan Alper, Turkey and Germany

People’s Choice Award for Best European Film
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)
Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embrances)
Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel)
The Duchess
Fly Me To The Moon, Ben Stassen
Män som Hatar Kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Lat Den Ratte Komma In (Let the Right One In)
Pranzo di Ferragosto (Mid-August Lunch)
Slumdog Millionaire
Transporter 3, Olivier Megaton

To check nominations in other categories please go here. The awards ceremony will take place at Germany’s Ruhr Metropolis on December 12th.

If you’re wondering why movies like Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader and other “older” movies are nominated, remember that regulations for eligibility require the film to have their official screening after July 1, 2008.

This year categories like Best European Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Cinematographer are really hard because, for example, in the best film we have multiple award winner Slumdog Millionaire (that I didn’t consider that good) along excellent movies like The White Ribbon and A Prophet, plus the great vampire movie from Sweden, the great UK indie, and good The Reader. I wouldn’t be surprised if Slumdog wins, but I hope the EPA members could give us a good (and truly well-deserved) surprise and gives the award to Haneke’s or Audiard’s master oeuvre.

I’m happy because I have seen most of the nominated movies (except for the ones in the Discovery category) and from the major categories I think I’ll watch Looking for Eric that I have delaying for the theme even when is a Ken Loach film.

In my opinion this has been an excellent year for European cinema and the nominations reflect the films theme diversity from well-known and just starting filmmakers. In about a month we will know who wins.

Cheers!